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SINGAPORE - JANUARY 02: Tarec Saffiedine attends the UFC Fight Night Singapore Ultimate Media Day at the Skating Rink at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sand on January 2, 2014 in Singapore. (Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/Zuffa LLC)

Tarec Saffiedine

TRAINING: Training with the team at 10am, eat and nap, 430pm conditioning, eat and rest a little, then finishing with some pad work, wrestling or grappling, depending on the day.

When and why did you start training for fighting? I played a lot of sports growing up and in high school. When I was 16 some friends were training in MMA, so I tried and liked it as soon as I tried. I tried to train everyday with them until I started training in Shihaishinkai Karate. I got my black belt in 2005, then I wanted to turn pro in MMA after a lot of amateur fights in Muay Thai, grappling, Shooto, karate etc...What ranks and titles have you held? The last Strikeforce welterweight champion. I won the Belgium amateur Shooto tournament, and I went to ADCC Europe after winning the ADCC Spain qualifications.Do you have any heroes? I got involved in MMA also because I was reading a lot of manga (Japanese comics) and one of them was called TOUGH. It told the story of a young kid who learns MMA through his father, his name was Kibo Miyazawa, and I loved the story behind it and wanted to do like him.What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It’s unbelievable. I will be the first Belgian to ever enter the cage and I am super excited about that! I want to be the first Belgian to win inside the UFC! Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? I stopped going to college because I was skipping too many classes to go train, so I stopped. Later I did a few classes to earn a certificate in personal training. What was your job before you started fighting? I worked as a gardener, popcorn maker in a cinema, ticket seller in a cinema, guard security, worked in a doctor office and painter.Ranks in any martial arts styles: Black belt in Shihaishinkai Karate, Brown belt in BJJFavorite grappling technique: ArmbarFavorite striking technique: Leg kicks

Getty Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this image or clip. If you violate our intellectual property you may be liable for: actual damages, loss of income, and profits you derive from the use of this image or clip, and, where appropriate, the costs of collection and/or statutory damages up to $150,000 (USD).